


Chocolate

by xPenguinQueenx



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Oblivious Jiwoo, basketball star yves, maybe too angsty?, pining Sooyoung, popular bby chuu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 08:34:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28348479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xPenguinQueenx/pseuds/xPenguinQueenx
Summary: Sooyoung reaches out hesitantly to take it. “Why… are you giving me a half melted chocolate bar?”Jiwoo blurts out the first thing she can think of, which is coincidentally the same thing she tells the neighbor’s kid that she babysits when they’re playing make believe. “It has super powers. You eat it and you can do anything.”--It starts when Jiwoo gives Sooyoung a piece of chocolate after losing the championship game and becomes Sooyoung's good luck charm.Sooyoung falls hard.
Relationships: Ha Sooyoung | Yves/Kim Jiwoo | Chuu, Jeon Heejin/Kim Jiwoo | Chuu
Comments: 52
Kudos: 221





	1. Chapter 1

Jiwoo doesn’t know why she starts it, but when she’s a measly fifteen years old at the most important basketball game of the school year, she offers the pretty, upperclassmen a piece of chocolate. She’s never talked to her before, which is strange because Ha Sooyoung is the most popular girl at school and Jiwoo is certainly on the rise to being close to the top of the social ladder despite her young age. Although popular for different reasons, Sooyoung is cool and mysterious while Jiwoo is charming and kind, they’ve certainly both gotten the school population talking about them separately.

Sooyoung has just missed the last minute Hail Mary shot from half court, desperate for a miracle to win their school a championship title, but she misses by an entire inch in her haste. The students of Blockberry are glum, disbelief clouding every single face.

Jiwoo thinks it’s unfair, the way so many that were cheering for the girl minutes ago are shooting Sooyoung glares as they stomp out of the gym. A couple of the girls on the team, Haseul and Jinsol, are actually crying silently into their jerseys, but not Sooyoung. Sooyoung hasn’t moved, glued to the half court line.

Jiwoo glares at the other side of the room, angry at the students celebrating. It’s not fair to be mad at them, but she hates the way they’re so gleeful when they’ve extinguished the fire that had been lit in every student of Blockberry High. She hadn’t seen the school so united before in their shared desire to celebrate being champions, but that’s gone now. 

Jinsol and Haseul collect themselves after a few minutes and have to pull Sooyoung away from the court. Sooyoung barely seems to register that they’re pulling her toward the changing rooms, too busy staring blankly at the basketball hoop.

“I can’t believe that just happened.” Jungeun hasn’t moved a muscle from her spot on the bleachers next to Jiwoo. “She missed. Sooyoung missed.”

Jiwoo smacks her.

“Don’t be like that.” She scolds.

Jungeun shakes her head, staring ahead in bafflement. “I’m just confused. She never misses.”

“Jungie, She’s not Wondergirl.”

“Wondergirl doesn’t exist. You mean Wonder Woman… or Supergirl.”

Jiwoo rolls her eyes. She tries, but she never understands her best friend’s nerdy rants about superheroes. There’s so many. Why are there so many? “Whatever. You can’t expect her to be Wonder Woman then. She’s a _girl_.”

“She’s _Ha Sooyoung.”_

Jiwoo sighs, watching the door to the changing room open and close. There’s been no sight of the star player or her best friends yet. Jiwoo idly wonders what the three are doing, prays that they aren’t crying or beating themselves up. They still have another year to win the title. Jiwoo just knows they can. They will.

“My mom is here.” Jungeun nudges her shoulder, eyes locked on the screen of her phone as her fingers type away a response to the text she’s just received. “She wants to know if you need a ride.”

Jiwoo thinks about it, but she kind of wants to wait around. She wants to stay and check up on Sooyoung. She wants the older girl to know that not _everyone_ is upset with her. “No, I think I’ll take the bus.”

Jungeun ruffles her hair as she leaves, knowing it aggravates Jiwoo more than anything. Jiwoo begins to retaliate, but she catches sight of Haseul and Jinsol leaving the changing room and makes a beeline for them instead of kicking Jungeun’s foot out from underneath her.

Haseul catches sight of her first, offering her a kind smile before she even reaches them. Jinsol eyes her hesitantly. Both of their eyes are still red. 

“Well, if it isn’t little Chuu.” Haseul teases.

Jiwoo refrains from scowling at the nickname some of the upperclassman have given her, and from pointing out that she’s taller than Haseul and that the girl shouldn’t really be allowed to call her little. “You guys played well today.”

Jinsol’s face softens. “Thanks, Jiwoo. I’m not sure the rest of the school will agree.”

Jiwoo attempts to physically wave the thought away with the flick of her hand. “Who cares about them. They can’t even think for themselves half the time.”

They both smother their smiles at her attempt to cheer them up. They’re both too kind to encourage her insults. Or, Haseul is at least because Jinol eventually nods. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Haseul smacks Jinsol in the chest, shaking her head at the both of them like a disapproving mother hen. “Maybe you could go talk to Sooyoung. I’m sure she would love to hear that at least one person is on our side still.”

She bids them farewell, not telling them that Sooyoung had been her initial target in the first place. It’s quiet in the locker room, the rest of the team has snuck off while she was talking with Haseul and Jinsol. Everyone but Sooyoung, that is.

Jiwoo tries to be silent, but her shoes slapping the concrete ground is louder than the bird outside her window in the mornings and just as annoying. Sooyoung groans into the jersey she’s submerged her face into when she hears the intrusive noise.

“Jinsol, go home. Just let me sulk in peace.” She doesn’t move from the metal bench.

Jiwoo eyes her bare stomach, vaguely wondering how she’s so fit. Jiwoo has been taking self defense classes for years and hasn’t been able to develop such a fine physique. “I don’t know why you’re sulking. You played really well.”

Sooyoung startles, dropping her jersey in her fright. Her cheeks turn pink when she realizes that Jiwoo isn’t her friend like she’s believed and desperately tugs her shirt over her head. “I- Jiwoo. Hi. What are you…”

A pleasant surprise runs through her. She’s not terribly fond of the social hierarchy, but there’s something nice about being acknowledged by the most popular girl in school by name. She wasn’t sure if Ha Sooyoung even knew of her existence, but apparently Jiwoo’s growing reputation is something impressive.

“Everyone stormed off. Thought someone should tell you that you did good.”

Sooyoung’s gaze drops to the ground. “I didn’t.”

Jiwoo settles next to her on the bench, knocking a knee into hers. “Really? That’s funny. I’m pretty sure you led the game in points _and_ you got more rebounds than the girls you were guarding even though they were half a foot taller-”

“They weren’t _that_ much taller than me.” Sooyoung tries to look upset by the insinuation, but a smile tugs at her lips.

“You are kind of small.”

“ _I’m_ small?” Sooyoung lifts her gaze finally, eyeing Jiwoo up and down.

Jiwoo doesn’t take the bait she’s laid out. “Yep. You know what else you are?”

Sooyoung narrows her eyes, like she’s waiting for an insult. “What?”

“Amazing.” Jiwoo gives her a gentle smile. “No matter what everyone else says, they can’t take that away from you.”

Sooyoung blinks at her, opens her mouth to speak, and closes it again. She’s staring at Jiwoo strangely. “I-”

Jiwoo giggles, finding something giddy about leaving Ha Sooyoung speechless. She doesn’t know much about the girl, but she knows enough to know that this doesn’t happen often. People talk about how charismatic and witty Sooyoung is, but no one has ever mentioned what she looks like when she doesn’t know what to say.

“Stop looking so down. You’ll win next year.”

Sooyoung frowns, looking even more glum. She obviously doesn’t listen well. “You don’t know that.”

“You’ll win next year.” Jiwoo says again with more conviction, hauling herself to her feet to stare Sooyoung down. Sooyoung still doesn’t look convinced, and in a last effort, she pulls out the chocolate bar she bought earlier from her pocket and shoves it in Sooyoung’s face. “Here.”

Sooyoung reaches out hesitantly to take it. “Why… are you giving me a half melted bar of chocolate?”

Jiwoo blurts out the first thing she can think of, which is coincidentally the same thing she tells the neighbor’s kid that she babysits when they’re playing make believe. “It has super powers. You eat it and you can do anything.”

A smirk pulls at her lip. “Oh yeah?”

Jiwoo hums. “Mhm. So you eat that and you’ll win next year. Okay?”

There’s a painful moment of silence before Sooyoung peels the wrapper and takes a bite out of the slightly melted chocolate bar. She chews slowly before dramatically standing. “I feel better already.”

Jiwoo laughs, pleased that she’s playing along. “There. See? Now you can’t lose.”

Sooyoung nods, looking at her seriously. “Yeah, but I heard it only works if I get one before every game.”

Jiwoo puts her hands on her hips and pretends to think deeply, rubbing her tongue along her front teeth despite the absence of braces. She should really be used to them being gone at this point, but she still frequently finds herself allowing this habit to continue. She hopes Sooyoung doesn’t notice, but her gaze is somewhere around her mouth so Jiwoo assumes that she’s caught sight of it.

That’s embarrassing.

“I guess I’ll have to bring you one before every game then.” Jiwoo decides.

Sooyoung gives a goofy grin, looking genuinely happy for the first time since the game ended. “I’ll hold you to that.”

  
  
  


\---

  
  


Summer is odd, but not in a bad way. Jungeun becomes friends with the girl next door, Choi Yerim, because Jungeun finds her endearing and in need of protection. Jiwoo becomes friends with Ha Sooyoung.

She drags Jungeun and Yerim with her to the park on the days that Sooyoung invites her. She’s always playing basketball with Haseul and Jinsol, roping in random people to play with them, and on the days that no one is there, they play shooting games. The older girls attempted to get them to play with them once upon a time, but that only ended with giving Jiwoo a bloody nose and a horrified Sooyoung apologizing for hitting said nose for the next two weeks.

Vivi comes sometimes too when she’s not busy. Jiwoo isn’t completely sure, but she thinks something is going on between her and Haseul. She asked Jinsol once, but Jinsol either didn’t know or didn’t care to spill her friend's secrets. Knowing Jinsol, it’s probably the latter.

Jiwoo comes prepared with a chocolate bar every single time. She doesn’t buy those giant ones anymore, her pockets, or her parent’s pockets more accurately put, would suffer if she did that. So she buys those bags full of tiny chocolates and hands one to Sooyoung before each game she plays. Sooyoung doesn’t seem to mind the smaller snack in the slightest, always eager to scoop in from Jiwoo’s outstretched palm.

“My lucky charm.” Sooyoung will always say.

Jiwoo will puff up proudly, excited to be such an influence in Sooyoung’s life. Not many people can say they give the school’s star basketball player their lucky charm.

Jinsol laughs, almost mockingly, everytime she witnesses the exchange. Haseul will reprimand her, but Jungeun jumps on the mocking soon enough as well and then it’s just a full on war to see which member of their group can get the better insult in. It’s all said in love, of course, but it’s why Vivi is probably her favorite because she’s the only one not sucked into their childish ways, and when she is finally goaded into it, she destroys all of them and their egos.

She gets a lot of invites from people that she goes to school with to hang out, but she’s not particularly excited to accept any. She sticks close to her group instead, ignoring the rest of the school population. It’s not like any of them would be nearly as exciting, and Jiwoo loves exciting.

There are some days that Jiwoo and Jungeun spend alone, usually in silence while the tv plays in the background or having impromptu photo shoots and fashion shows while their parents are away. Jiwoo craves excitement, but she needs her quiet, too. 

Sooyoung pouts over facetime on the days that she doesn’t come to watch and bring her chocolate. She always says she loses the days that Jiwoo doesn’t come because she doesn’t have her good luck charm, and although Jiwoo thinks it is _a little_ silly to put so much on a candy, she agrees to always show up to Sooyoung’s actual games when school starts back.

Sooyoung holds her to it.

  
  
  


\---

  
  


Jiwoo wants to be upset with Jungeun for skipping out of the first basketball game of the year, especially because it’s the last first game Sooyoung, Haseul, and Jinsol will ever have, but she guesses that she can’t really skip out on a family get together.

 _It’s fine,_ Jiwoo thinks, pulling Yerim through the crowded building and into the gym. _I’ll just take care of Yerim and cheer enough for Jungeun, too._

“I didn’t realize how popular you were when we first met.” Yerim says into her cup of hot chocolate, the dull roar of the crowd nearly silencing her.

Jiwoo wants to question her why she’s drinking hot chocolate on such a warm day, but Yerim has always been a little odd despite her sunny personality. It’s why Jungeun cares about her so much in the first palace, the nerds. They’re _her_ nerds though.

“What do you mean?” Jiwoo waves at the upperclassmen across the court that’s trying to catch her attention. She doesn’t know their names, but it seems rude not to return their waves.

Yerim snorts into her cup, the air from her nose blowing droplets of the hot chocolate onto her cheeks. Jiwoo wipes them away with her sleeve, amused by the sight. “I mean, everyone here is kind of in love with you. I should have known when I saw your follower count on Instagram.”

“It’s not that big.” She insists. The truth is, Jiwoo doesn’t even remember what the number is anymore. She stopped checking when she hit ten thousand. She doesn’t even follow more than two hundred people so she’s not sure how she has so many followers. 

“Jiwoo.” Yerim sighs, fondness coloring the breath she exhales. “My account followers doubled the day you followed me back. Half of the people in my private messages just want to know how they can become friends with you.”

Jiwoo frowns at that. “I don’t wanna be their friend. I have you guys already.”

“I know.” Yerim giggles, settling her head against Jiwoo’s shoulder. “I’m really glad we’re friends now.”

Jiwoo doesn’t get to respond because someone knocks into her other shoulder, sending Yerim’s head rolling off in what was probably a painful way. Jiwoo turns, ready to be completely offended for her friend’s sake. She’s not a very angry or confrontational person, but Yerim isn’t very good at standing up for herself so Jiwoo takes it upon herself to turn into the mother friend. She’s been taking notes from Haseul.

“Hey-” The words get stuck in her throat.

The girl’s eyes widen, the cute freckle under her eye wiggles at the movement. “Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry!”

Jiwoo, for the first time in her life, doesn’t know how to respond to someone. The girl winces, obviously waiting to be scolded, and by all means, she should be scolding her, but Jiwoo can’t stop looking at the worried frown her lips are tilted in.

“Um- Yerim?” Jiwoo turns to her friend. “You okay?”

Yerim rubs her jaw. “Yeah, it was just an accident.”

Jiwoo nods, feeling breathless for some reason. “Yeah, just an accident,” The girl sighs, relief sagging through her body. It’s only when she sees the girl’s shoulders deflate that she realizes she’s wearing a jersey in the opposite school’s colors. “You’re playing today?”

She doesn’t know why she’s making conversation. Isn’t there some rule not to be friendly with the opposite team or something? Or she should at the very least not be making pleasantries with her friend’s rivals, right?

“Yeah!” She perks up. “My best friend, Hyunjin, plays. She’s amazing. She asked me to join her and here I am. It’s my first game.”

Jiwoo can’t help but smile. There’s something about this girl that she just… really likes. “You seem nervous.”

“Yeah.” She gives a nervous laugh. “I guess when I’m nervous I tend to run over pretty girls.” Jiwoo’s cheeks heat up at the unexpected compliment. “Oh- uh- I meant to say that last part in my head, actually.”

Jiwoo giggles, actually giggles, and rocks on the heels of her feet. “Thank you..”

“Heejin!” She sticks her hand out, taking it back and wiping it across her shorts, and offering it again with an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, my hands get sweaty when I’m nervous.”

Jiwoo takes it in her own, not very fond of the stickiness, but she doesn’t say anything about it to make her feel bad either. It’s totally normal to be nervous like this. Sooyoung and the others won’t admit it, but they’ve been freaking out all week too.

“That’s okay, I ramble when I’m nervous. I think that’s my best friend's fault though because…” She trails off when she realizes that she’s… well… rambling. “I’m Jiwoo.”

“I know.” Heejin admits, releasing Jiwoo’s hand when they’ve been holding on a little too long to be considered just polite. “Hyunjin and I follow you on Instagram. You have a pretty voice. Not like me, mine is too deep.”

  
“I like your voice.” Jiwoo says honestly. “It’s pretty.”

 _You’re pretty,_ she wants to say, much to her surprise. No one has ever really caught her attention like this. She’s used to being around pretty girls, she’s friends with some of the prettiest girls in school, but they’re her _friends_. Friends stay in the friends area and pretty, deep voiced girls from other schools stay in the… well they don’t have an area to stay in, really. Jiwoo is fine with Heejin roaming wherever she wants in Jiwoo’s mind.

“Oh.” Heejin laughs nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. “Thanks.”

The buzzer sounds in warning, startling them both. Heejin glances back and gives Jiwoo one last smile before pointing behind her, obviously telling her that she needs to go. Jiwoo grabs her by the jersey before she leaves, tugging her back and digging into her pocket.

“Here, Heejin. For good luck.” Jiwoo plops a tiny piece of chocolate in her hands. Heejin stares at it, like Jiwoo has given her the answers to the universe. “I’ll be rooting for my friends today, sorry, but I hope you play well.”

Heejin pops it into her mouth, grinning brightly as one of her teammates suddenly tugs her away. Jiwoo watches them go, feeling an odd pull at the bottom of her belly. She wonders if this is what it feels like to have a crush.

“You gave her Sooyoung’s candy.” Yerim says accusingly.

Jiwoo startles. She had forgotten about Yerim entirely, and now she feels like the worst friend in the entire universe. She planned on watching over Yerim and yet she completely abandoned her there for some girl from a different school.

“Relax.” Jiwoo digs into her pocket again, pulling out a few more pieces of candy. “I was feeling snacky and brought some extra.”

Yerim is still watching her strangely. There’s something in her gaze that makes Jiwoo feel uncomfortable, like she's being judged for something, but Jiwoo hasn’t done anything wrong. Maybe Yerim is just super against flirting with enemies or something.

“Jiwoo!” Sooyoung’s voice cuts through Yerim’s interrogating gaze. “You came.”

Jiwoo turns abruptly, eager for a distraction from Yerim. “Of course! I would never miss your games!”

Sooyoung gives a goofy grin, holding out a hand. Jiwoo picks out Sooyoung’s favorite and sets it in her hand. She may have given Heejin a piece for good luck as well, but Heejin would never be allowed to have Sooyoung’s _favorite_ piece of candy. No one is allowed to touch that one. Jiwoo made a deal with the older girl and she never goes back on her word.

She hopes Heejin does great, but Sooyoung comes first.

“Knock ‘em dead, Sooyoung.”

Sooyoung grabs Jiwoo’s hand and gives a tiny squeeze of thanks. Her hand is sweaty too, but Jiwoo doesn’t mind the feeling. Sooyoung’s fingers feel much more comfortable around her hand than Heejin’s had.

“Of course. I have my good luck charm.”

Yerim gags off to the side.

  
  
  


\---

  
  
  


They eat together every Monday, the six of them. There’s always an assortment of them together during the week, but Monday is the one day all of them get to see one another at lunch. Haseul is busy tutoring on Wednesday and Thursday. Jungeun, Yerim, and Jinsol have some geek club they go to throughout the week randomly. Sooyoung tends to leave constantly to practice in the gym, but not Mondays. Jiwoo follows all of them around occasionally. She doesn’t have any clubs or activities for herself.

She’s thought about becoming the basketball team’s manager, but she’s a little too biased towards Sooyoung to do that. Jiwoo knows for a fact that she would give her, Haseul, and Jinsol special treatment and that wouldn’t be very kind of her.

“I’m just saying, Brotherhood is so much better.” Jungeun points her fork at Jinsol accusingly. Jinsol rolls her eyes, but listens intently anyway. Jiwoo doesn’t know why she’s attacking Jinsol, Jinsol was literally just minding her business when Jungeun started in on her. “They were so eager to make the anime that they-”

Jiwoo puts her hands over her ears. She has no idea what Jungeun is talking about, but Jinsol and Yerim are glued to her words like always. Haseul is attempting to follow, but it’s obvious she has no idea what they’re talking about either. Sooyoung is picking at her food, not interested in the burger with soggy bread on her plate.

Jiwoo huffs out a laugh, catching Sooyoung’s attention. She usually does, sometimes she thinks Sooyoung must have a Jiwoo radar in her brain. Jiwoo shrugs at her, tilting her head toward Jungeun. Sooyoung follows the motion and shrugs back, not understanding either.

“I’m just saying!” Yerim raises her voice, pointedly, making Jiwoo lower her hands. “Maybe they wanted to make it before it was too late! Maybe they were afraid someone _else_ would make the show before them.”

“Well maybe they should have waited because the second show was much better than the first.” Jungeun retorts.

Yerim huffs, head turning to meet Sooyoung’s gaze unexpectedly. “Sooyoung, don’t you think it was better of them to make the show before anyone else got to it?”

Sooyoung blinks slowly. “Um…”

“Sooyoung.” Jungeun balls her fists, staring her down as well now. “Don’t you think it’s better to wait for the right time?”

Sooyoung eyes both of them wearily, a sudden comprehension dawning in her eyes, like she suddenly knows what’s happening. Jiwoo applauds her because she’s still in the dark. She didn’t know Sooyoung knew anything about anime.”I- I don’t…”

“Maybe!” Jinsol holds a hand up, looking quite wise in the moment as she silences everyone around them. “The show isn’t quite ready to be made.”

The other three glance at each other, Sooyoung tossing one quick look at Jiwoo. They all nod silently, acknowledging Jinsol’s words. Jiwoo has never been more lost in her life. Perhaps she should actually pay attention to the tv when she’s at Jungeun’s house.

Jiwoo turns to Haseul. “I thought the show was already made.”

Haseul gives her a pitying look. “Oh, our sweet, sweet Chuu.”

Jiwoo feels like she should be offended by the condescending tone.

  
  
  
  


\----

  
  


When school first started back, people were a little different toward Sooyoung. She wasn’t less popular, but she was definitely not everyone’s favorite person. Now that she’s back to winning games for the school, everyone is constantly showering her in praise and compliments like before. Jiwoo is happy about it, but she can’t help but wonder when their fickle opinions will change once again.

She’s especially happy to see her friends so happy, but sometimes she thinks back to the first game of the season and thinks about Heejin. The girl played well, even managed to outscore Jinsol, but Jiwoo remembers how sad she had looked when she realized they lost, and how she had hugged her teammate with a ferocity, an apology probably.

The look has been ingrained into her brain for weeks now, and that’s exactly what causes her to go looking for the girl on social media. She made sure to spot the last name attached to her jersey that day.

_Jeon Heejin._

There’s more than a few of them on Instagram and most are private. None of the profile pictures she finds resemble the girl, but there is one account that has a picture of a scruffy looking dog on it. She vaguely wonders if that could be her when she suddenly remembers that Heejin said she follows her.

Jiwoo rushes to her followers list, typing the girl’s name into the search bar. She finds it immediately, the only Jeon Heejin following her, and with a picture of a scruffy dog in the profile. She’s found her.

Jiwoo pushes the blue _follow back_ button and waits.

“Jiwoo? How’s my form?” 

She looks up from her phone, eyeing Sooyoung’s stance. It’s the same, perfect stance she’s had since Jiwoo has met her. She doesn’t know why Sooyoung wants her to look, unless she’s just trying to show off. She does do that sometimes.

“Perfect.” Jiwoo gives a thumbs up.

Sooyoung smiles shyly, lining up and taking the shot at the free throw line. It sinks in easily and Jiwoo snatches the ball before it can roll away. She tosses it back with much less grace than the other basketball players would have.

Today is one of the days that Jiwoo has followed Sooyoung to practice. Haseul is tutoring and the other three are off doing who knows what. Jiwoo grows tired of watching Haseul teach math or science to first years and listening to Jungeun and Jinsol fight over meaningless nerd things while Yerim interrupts occasionally. She never grows tired of helping Sooyoung though.

Sooyoung backs up a step and shoots again. Jiwoo watches it sink into the hoop and throws it back. They repeat the process for a while until Sooyoung ends up at the half court line. Jiwoo watches her nose scrunch up, worried about the way her knees wobble. Sooyoung shoots, and misses.

“Damn it!” Sooyoung throws her arms out wildly. “Are you serious? Can you just make the damn shot, Sooyoung?”

Jiwoo watches the ball as it rolls to the other side of the room. She chases it down, ignoring Sooyoung cursing herself. Sooyoung asked her for help and she plans on giving her that help, even if she really has no idea what she’s doing.

“Hey.” Jiwoo throws her the ball, nearly smacking her in the face with it. “Go again.”

She steps up close, nearly to her face. Sooyoung takes a step back, gasping for air as she splutters out an attempt at words. Jiwoo pulls her back to the halfcourt line and raises her tiny arms and hands in the air.

“Jiwoo.” Sooyoung sighs out. “If I can’t make it when I’m wide open-”

“You’re making yourself nervous. Stop putting so much pressure on the shot. This isn’t the championship.”

She shakes her head at Jiwoo, a frustrated frown pulling her lips down. “Everyone is counting on me to win and if I can’t-”

“Stop.” Jiwoo drops her hands onto her shoulders, shaking Sooyoung as much as she possibly can with Sooyoung’s firm body resisting. “Stop thinking about everyone else for just a minute and play basketball with me. Please.”

“The last time we played, you ended up with a broken nose.”

Jiwoo gives a conspiring grin. “Guess I’ll just have to get one of those fancy nose jobs if it happens again.”

“You don’t need to. You’re really pretty, Jiwoo.” Sooyoung tells her, eyes on the ball in her hands. She shuffles uncomfortably. “I like your nose.”

Jiwoo smiles. “I didn’t _really_ plan on it, but thank you.”

Sooyoung swallows. “You’re welcome.”

She’s not very good with compliments, Jiwoo has noticed. Giving or receiving them. Not to say she’s bad at saying sweet things, quite the opposite actually, she just struggles to get them out without feeling awkward about it.

“Come on.” Jiwoo swipes at the ball. Sooyoung pulls it away on instinct. “Play with me.”

And Sooyoung does. Jiwoo can’t keep up with her in the slightest and oftentimes resorts to wrapping herself around Sooyoung, no matter how many times Sooyoung yells about fouls and illegal plays. She needs as many ups on the girl as she can get. How else is she to play against the greatest basketball player in the country?

Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it can’t be too far off. Ha Sooyoung is amazing. She hadn’t lied that day of the championship. Sooyoung is amazing, she just seems to forget sometimes. That’s okay though, Jiwoo will just remind her as much as she needs to until Sooyoung remembers for herself.

“This is cheating.” Sooyoung tells her.

Jiwoo mumbles into the back of her neck, refusing to release Sooyoung’s arms. “Says you.”

“Says every rulebook in the world.” Sooyoung laughs. Jiwoo feels the shake of Sooyoung’s body against her chest. It tickles her somewhere inside. “Cheater.”

“Whatever.” Jiwoo lets go and shoves her backward, right in front of the half court line.

Sooyoung bounces the ball twice before taking the shot. Jiwoo is busy watching Sooyoung, waiting. She doesn’t hear the clanking of the ball bouncing off the hoop, but the sound of the net swishing instead. Sooyoung’s eyes go wide as she throws her hands up in the air.

“I did it!” She bounces up and down, looking more like an excited Yerim than the usual cool and collected Sooyoung. “I did it, Jiwoo!”

  
Jiwoo doesn’t notice the splitting grin on her own face until her dry lips crack. She licks them in an attempt to soothe the ache, but before she can confirm that they’re okay, Sooyoung is pulling her into a hug. 

Jiwoo’s feet lift off the ground and she wraps her arms around Sooyoung’s neck on instinct alone. A little squeal slips past her lips, but Sooyoung doesn’t seem to notice, babbling about how she’s going to win the championship this year.

Jiwoo thinks it’s about time she’s realized it too. She was getting tired of being the only one aware of the greatness that awaits her this year.

  
  
  


\----

  
  


**Jeon Heejin accepted your request**

“Are you having an aneurysm?” Jungeun throws a pack of crackers at her. Jiwoo isn’t a big snack person, but she does have a weakness for eating unhealthily when she’s at Jungeun’s home. There’s just something in the air that makes her want to eat an entire bowl of cookie dough or clear the girl’s cabinet of chips. “Hello?”

“I’m fine!” Jiwoo rips open the pack of crackers, hiding her phone behind the bag so Jungeun can’t snoop on her. It wouldn’t be hard for Jungeun to merely lean over from her spot on the bed and peek at her phone.

She swipes down the notification and stares at the message. Heejin accepted her follow request. It’s been two days since Jiwoo sent it and she was starting to think that Heejin just didn’t want to talk to her.

She clicks on the notification, allowing herself to look over Heejin’s profile. Her last update was almost three weeks ago and it’s only a drawing of that girl, the one from her team. Jiwoo taps the picture, checking for a tag. One pops up for someone named Hyunjin. Jiwoo is pretty sure this is her best friend.

Jiwoo doesn’t give it a like yet. She wants to look through the rest of Heejin’s pictures. It’s kind of creepy of her, especially once she gets into the ones from more than three years ago, but to be fair, Heejin doesn’t post much. That probably explains why it took so long for Heejin to accept her request.

Jiwoo goes back to the drawing once she’s gone through all of her pictures, clicking on the tag to take her to her best friend’s page. Not a private profile this time, thank goodness. Hyunjin is much more active and pictures of Heejin are littered throughout the entire profile. Some of them look… a little more than friendly, but Jiwoo doesn't make any judgement yet. People thought she and Jungeun were dating all the time when they were younger. Maybe Heejin and Hyunjin are just close.

She quickly hits the follow back button on Hyunjin’s profile as well. Maybe Heejin will think she’s less weird if she follows both of them. It’ll look like she didn’t just single her out, even though that’s exactly what Jiwoo did.

She clicks back to Heejin’s profile, but a notification from Hyunjin liking one of her pictures goes off.

That was quick, and a little strange.

“Woah.” Jiwoo blinks at the screen.

“Woah, what?” Jungeun suddenly slams down on top of her.

Jiwoo panics when she grabs her phone, fighting to push Jungeun off of her. Jiwoo is much stronger and easily able to wrestle her away, but the damage is done because Jungeun has seen her stalking Jeon Heejin.

“Um- who is this?” Jungeun accidentally likes one of Heejin’s pictures, an older one from last year.

“Oh my God! Give me my phone!” Jiwoo pushes a knee into Jungeun’s spine, grabbing the phone desperately. “You liked her picture! She’s going to think I’m a creep!”

“You are a creep.” Jungeun whines, rubbing at her back. Jiwoo feels a little bad for kneeing her so hard. “Why are you stalking this girl? What about Sooyoung?”

**Jeon Heejin liked your photo**

Jiwoo stares blankly, clicking the photo in question that Heejin has liked. It’s old, back from Jungeun and Jiwoo’s last day of middle school. 

_Is this considered flirting?_

“What about Sooyoung?” Jiwoo asks, double tapping a random picture on Heejin’s profile. 

Jungeun’s hand covers the screen, urging Jiwoo to look at her. Jiwoo ignores the ding from her phone even though she desperately wants to look. “Aren’t you and Sooyoung… like, a thing?”

Jiwoo blinks. “Like dating?”

Jungeun nods.

“No, Sooyoung and I are friends.” Jiwoo frowns, a little upset that Jungeun would think Jiwoo would date one of their friends without telling her. “Jungie. I tell you everything.”

  
“I know!” Jungeun pouts. “I thought you guys just wanted some privacy is all. The whole school thinks that, actually.”

  
Jiwoo pauses. “They think Sooyoung and I are dating?”

“Well yeah.” Jungeun rubs the back of her head, a nervous habit. “She calls you her lucky charm and she… she’s sweet with you.”

“She calls the chocolate her lucky charm.” Jiwoo points out. She thought that was obvious. Everyone knows Jiwoo brings Sooyoung chocolate before her games.

“No.” Jungeun shakes her head. “She calls you her lucky charm. By name.” Jiwoo opens her mouth to respond, but nothing comes out. “Look, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. I misunderstood.”

Jiwoo doesn’t know what she’s supposed to say to that. She’s never really looked at Sooyoung in any way other than platonic. Jiwoo has always been her number one supporter and her friend, but that’s always been it.

“There’s nothing between Sooyoung and I.” Jiwoo reiterates.

Jungeun hums, still not looking particularly convinced. “Okay.”

There’s an awkward silence while Jungeun leans back against the headboard of her bed. Jiwoo leans back, angled toward her. She doesn’t hide her phone this time, allowing Jungeun to watch her click on the latest notification. 

Heejin has liked another picture of hers from farther back, one of the first ones she ever uploaded to her profile. Jiwoo contemplates sending a message, but she’s not quite brave enough and likes another of Heejin’s. 

Heejin’s message comes minutes later.

**Jeon Heejin: Are you free Saturday?**

  
  


\----

  
  


The next night, the girl’s win their game and they decide to go out and celebrate at the local diner a few blocks from the school, Vivi agreeing to meet them there. It feels like forever since she’s seen the girl, but while she feels excited, Haseul seems ready to implode on the inside from happiness.

Jiwoo is shoved directly to the middle of the round booth, right next to Sooyoung. It’s a bit crowded, especially with Jungeun on her other side trying to make room for Yerim so she’s not subjected to being hit by the people passing by their table to congratulate the basketball players and Haseul pushing Jinsol and Sooyoung further in so Vivi is comfortable.

Sooyoung drops her left arm across the back of the leather seats, behind Jiwoo’s head, and Jiwoo takes it as an invitation to scoot closer, nearly into the older girl’s lap. Sooyoung doesn’t seem to mind, thankfully, but Jiwoo notices her stiffening just so slightly. She usually does at first when Jiwoo clings, but Jiwoo knows for a fact that she’ll relax in a moment. 

If she had any doubt in her mind that Sooyoung didn’t enjoy the affections her friends give her, she’d release her, but Jiwoo knows that Sooyoung isn’t terribly vocal about her feelings. That knowledge keeps her in her spot, even going as far to set her head on Sooyoung’s shoulder.

“I’m proud of you guys.” Vivi leans into Haseul, poking her nose in an oddly sweet gesture. “How about I buy you a milkshake?”

Jinsol jolts upward, accidentally hitting Sooyoung in her haste to stare Vivi down. “You mean it?”

Vivi makes a face between guilt and disgust. “I meant Haseul.”

The group laughs, probably too loud to be considered polite, at the way Jinsol sinks back down into the booth. Jiwoo refrains from telling her that she shouldn’t be sitting like that, ruining her spine. Her mother probably tells her that enough as it is. Jiwoo has caught the tail end of enough conversations between them to know that Jinsol’s bad posture is a constant fight between her and her mother.

Jungeun takes pity on her first. “I’ll buy you a dumb milkshake.”

Jinsol gives her puppy dog eyes. “Really?”

Jugeun flushes. That’s curious. “Yes, now stop looking at me like that.”

Yerim shakes her head. “I’d offer, Sooyoung, but..”

She trails off, shrugging. Jiwoo understands. Their baby of the group doesn’t quite have a job yet. Jiwoo supposes it’s up to her once again.

Sooyoung hums, butting Jiwoo’s head. “The nice thing for you to do…”

Jiwoo huffs, even though she knows that she’s going to buy the milkshake already. “Who says I’m nice?”

“Everyone.” Haseul interjects, looking smug. Jiwoo doesn’t know what it is about Vivi’s presence that doubles Haseul’s confidence, but sometimes Jiwoo finds herself fondly irritated by it. “Chuu, the nicest girl in school. Although, Yerim sure is giving you a run for your money these days.”

Sooyoung laughs softly, the noise sending shivers down her body. She hadn’t expected it is all. “No, you’re right, Jiwoo. You can be very mean. Like that time you chose to go help Haseul teach some kid french instead of coming to the gym to practice with me.”

“Exactly.” Jiwoo matches the teasing note in Sooyoung’s voice. “Super mean.”

Sooyoung hums. “But you know what would make up for that? A milkshake.”

Jiwoo pretends to think about it for a second. “Fine.”

She pretends not to be happy when Sooyoung squeezes her tightly. There’s not much she enjoys more in life than taking care of her friends, especially ones like Sooyoung who aren’t fond of allowing people to take care of them.

Jungeun smacks her arm. “Shouldn’t you be saving money for your date on Saturday?”

Jiwoo jumps up the moment she catches sight of a waitress across the room and waves. The waitress is a little taken aback by her, but smiles and holds up a single finger, signalling for just a moment.

“Date?” Sooyoung says slowly behind her.

And _oh!_ She forgot to tell the rest of them about Heejin. She had been so caught up in the texts they've been sending back and forth in between classes and during lunch that it completely slipped her mind to even tell her friends about her. 

Jiwoo sits back down, ready to fall back into Sooyoung’s side, but the girl’s arm is no longer on the seat behind Jiwoo. Sooyoung is tense again, more than before, and Jiwoo wonders why she’s had enough of her affection already. Or perhaps her arm is just uncomfortable there. Jiwoo doesn’t question her. She doesn’t want Sooyoung to sacrifice her arm just to make Jiwoo comfortable.

“Yeah!” Jiwoo grins, a giddy laugh slipping past her lips as she answers Sooyoung. “Jeon Heejin. You guys played against her team the first game of the season.”

“She’s-” Sooyoung exhales loudly, a scoff forming near the end. “A basketball player? You’re going on a date with a basketball player?”

Jiwoo nods, catching the irritation in her voice. “Yeah, she’s really sweet.”

Yerim leans forward. “The one you gave chocolate to?”

The air around them is growing uncomfortable for reasons Jiwoo can’t understand. She glances around the table and catches a look at all of her friends. Vivi and Haseul won’t quite meet her eyes and Jinsol is squirming more than usual. Sooyoung and Yerim look upset and Jungeun just gives her a sad smile, like she had expected this.

“Yeah. It was her first game ever and I wanted to cheer her up.” Jiwoo feels like she needs to explain herself for some reason. Are they upset about the chocolate? She wouldn’t give away their lucky charm. “But just one of the extras I brought. I would _never_ give her Sooyoung’s chocolate.”

Sooyoung’s expression softens, replacing her frown with a sad smile. “I know.”

Jiwoo freezes. “I- are you guys mad at me?”

They’re all acting like she’s committed a crime.

Sooyoung glances around at the rest of them, shaking her head. “No, we’re not mad…. Just didn’t expect you to go for someone that we… play against.”

Oh, that’s why they’re upset. Jiwoo feels relief run through her body. Of course they’re weary about her going out with someone that’s considered a rival, that makes perfect sense. Jiwoo would be a little scared if Yerim started dating someone like that as well. Sometimes Jiwoo forgets how protective her friends are of her.

“No, don’t worry! Heejin is really nice, I promise.” Jiwoo reassures them all. 

“And you deserve someone nice,” Sooyoung says. “A nice girl for our nice Jiwoo.” There’s something strange still in her voice, tight, but her question keeps Jiwoo from asking about it. “You gave her that chocolate to be nice, right?”

Jiwoo doesn’t know why that’s important, but nods anyway. “Yes.”

Sooyoung nods slowly. When she speaks, her voice is thick. “Right, you gave her chocolate to be nice. Nothing more.”

The rest of the night feels a little off, but Jiwoo doesn’t know if something is really wrong or if she’s just overthinking everything. The girls seem more subdued, their previous excitement over their win dulled. 

Jiwoo still buys Sooyoung her milkshake, but she only finishes half of it, which is odd considering it’s her favorite flavor. Sooyoung and Jinsol dip earlier than planned, leaving an empty space next to Jiwoo. She tries not to think about how much she misses the warmth of Sooyoung in the now roomy booth.

“Still think they should have waited to make the second show?” Yerim asks Jungeun when they decided it's time to go home.

Jungeun gives Jiwoo an odd look before she answers. “Yes. They needed to wait for the manga to catch up before the show could be done the right way.”

Yerim doesn’t respond and Jiwoo still doesn’t understand what they’re talking about.

  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

“Have you heard about that girl?” Jinsol kicks at her shin in retaliation for the turtle shell that Sooyoung has thrown at her.

Sooyoung snorts, ignoring her attempt at violence and dodges the banana in the road. “I’ve heard about lots of girls, Sol. You’ve gotta be more specific here.”

Haseul hums, her character trailing far behind in last place. Sooyoung is pretty sure Haseul has given up on ever trying to win at this game, or any competitive game; she just has terrible luck. “She’s talking about Chuu, I think.”

Sooyoung frowns. “There’s no way that’s a real name.”

“It’s not.” Haseul tosses her controller, officially having resigned despite still having two more laps left. “Kim Jiwoo is her real name. She’s getting _really_ popular. Especially on Instagram.”

“I heard someone made a fan page for her.” Jinsol says, only halfway paying attention.

Sooyoung doesn’t doubt that in the slightest. Someone made a page dedicated to her, Jinsol, and Haseul as well at some point this year. She gets it, kind of. The three of them are very well known now because of how well they work together on the basketball court, and not even just at their school, but around their entire district.

Still, she can’t say she understands the obsession people have with them. It does freak her out occasionally when underclassmen come to talk to her and already know something about her that shouldn’t be public knowledge.

“So why are we talking about her?” Sooyoung asks.

“Because you need to have interests in things outside of basketball, you freak.” Jinsol passes the finish line seconds before Sooyoung, and only because Jinsol saved a turtle shell for her. “YES!”

Sooyoung rolls her eyes, offering her a high five that’s quickly returned before falling into Haseul’s side. She peeks over at the girl’s phone, expecting her to be dutifully texting Vivi, but she’s on that girl’s instagram page instead.

“Huh.” Sooyoung blinks down at the picture. “I mean… she’s cute.”

Haseul hums in agreement. “Like a puppy.”

Sooyoung shrugs. She guesses so, but she doesn’t really understand why everyone’s obsessed with this Kim Jiwoo. She looks like a normal girl, nothing about her especially catching Sooyoung’s eye. With the way her best friends were talking, she was expecting a goddess reincarnated.

Jinsol smacks the phone from Haseul’s hand. “Haseul, did you see me kick Sooyoung’s ass?”

Haseul sighs.

  
  


\---

  
  


She knows the second she releases the ball, it’s not going in the hoop. The girl defending her knows as well because she smirks at Sooyoung, a nasty one too. Sooyoung doesn’t even try to dodge the shoulder shoved at her as the buzzer sounds.

One half of the room erupts into cheer and the other watches on in silence. Sooyoung is the cause for every single reaction, but the only ones she cares about are the ones from Haseul and Jinsol, both surely devastated.

She doesn’t dare turn her gaze away from the basketball hoop, too much of a coward to look at her disappointed peers and teammates. She can hear her best friends crying off to the side and that sound alone breaks her heart. She doesn’t want to look at them.

Blockberry students start leaving the gym in a hurry and the rest of her team pass by without giving her a glance. Sooyoung feels terribly alone in the middle of the court. She’s used to being surrounded by people, people who adore her or want to be her, but no one wants anything to do with her now. No one admires the girl who lost their school a championship title and no one wants to be a loser.

“Hey, come on.” Haseul puts a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.

Jinsol tugs her by the arm, a little more forceful than Haseul, but not unkindly. It’s enough to snap Sooyoung out of her own head, relief filling her body. Everyone else may hate her, but never Jinsol or Haseul.

“I’m sorry.” She chokes out, her throat tight.

“Shut up.” Jinsol shakes her head. “Not your fault, dummy.”

“It’s a team game. We win as a team and we lose as a team.” Haseul, always the voice of reason. 

Sooyoung knows that, but it’s hard to remember when everyone she knows is glaring at her like she’s killed their family pet or something. It’s hard when she took the final shot and now her friend’s eyes are filled with tears.

None of her teammates glare or mutter under their breath like she expected, but they certainly don’t speak to her on their way out either. There’s no smiles or pats to the back like usual, the camaraderie gone. So much for a team game, right? 

She pulls her jersey off and settles onto the metal bench, vaguely aware of Haseul and Jinsol getting dressed around her. Usually everyone sits around and sulks after losing a game, but it seems everyone is eager to leave for home and wash the shame off their sweaty bodies today. Sooyoung doesn’t blame them.

“Soo?” Jinsol nudges her. 

“You guys can go.” Sooyoung waves them off. “I just need a minute.”

They both look like they might argue, but she knows they know exactly what will happen if they stay and bother her. Sooyoung isn’t the best at expressing herself and tends to lash out. It’s something she really doesn’t like about herself.

“Okay, we’ll wait around outside.” Haseul tugs Jinsol out quietly.

Sooyoung regrets sending them away the moment the door closes because her brain begins berating her. She knows she won’t stop thinking about this every night before she goes to sleep for at least a month. It’s one of those things that will haunt her forever probably.

She rests her face into her jersey, not sure if the sting in her eyes is because she wants to cry or if her jersey just reeks that badly. She doesn’t get to think long though because she hears the door creak open and the loud sound of shoes slapping the floor.

“Jinsol, go home. Just let me sulk in peace.” She knows it’s not Haseul. Jinsol’s annoying ass is the only one that would bug her again.

“I don’t know why you’re sulking. You played really well.”

Sooyoung doesn’t even register the words, more worried that she’s just been rude to some random girl while she’s half naked. She drops the jersey and frantically pulls her shirt on, too aware of the heat rushing to her cheeks when she catches sight of the girl in front of her. “I- Jiwoo. Hi. What are you…”

She hopes Jiwoo doesn't think it’s strange that Sooyoung knows her name. She’s popular enough that everyone knows her name, right? It doesn’t make Sooyoung weird. Besides, Haseul and Jinsol are the weirdos that stalk her, not Sooyoung.

“Everyone stormed off. Thought someone should tell you that you did good.”

She drops her head, willing herself to keep a steady voice in front of this Kim Jiwoo. “I didn’t.”

The bench creaks under the weight of Jiwoo as she sits, knocking her knee into Sooyoung’s. “Really? That’s funny. I’m pretty sure you led the game in points _and_ you got more rebounds than the girl you were guarding even though they were half a foot taller-”

“They weren’t _that_ much taller than me.” She pouts, pretending to be upset, but a larger part of her is already feeling lighter. She’s starting to see why everyone likes this Kim Jiwoo. Sooyoung had been utterly devastated only moments ago and now she’s on the verge of laughing.

“You are kind of small.”

“ _I’m_ small?” Sooyoung eyes Jiwoo up and down. The girl is smaller than Sooyoung, but even if she still has some growing to do, she doubts Jiwoo will ever be taller than her.

“Yep. You know what else you are?”

Sooyoung is waiting for another short joke, just knows that it’s coming. “What?”

“Amazing.” Sooyoung freezes at the gentle smile Jiwoo gives her. “No matter what everyone else says, they can’t take that away from you.”

Sooyoung has to take a second to compose herself because she knows right then that something in her life has shifted, because she knows for a fact that Kim Jiwoo is no longer just the girl from Haseul’s phone.

Sooyoung falls, and she falls hard.

  
  
  


\----

  
  


She works up the courage right before summer vacation to give Jiwoo her number. If it hadn’t been for Jinsol practically shoving her on the girl in the middle of the hallway the last day of school, she might not have even been able to.

She has no clue how to text her over the phone, she’s bad at it. Instead, she invites Jiwoo to the park with Haseul and Jinsol tagging along in case she embarrasses herself terribly. It’s a good thing too because Jiwoo shows up with a couple friends as well, both younger than Sooyoung and her friends.

Sooyoung doesn’t mind the added company, encourages it if anything. She’s terrified of scaring Jiwoo away by being too forward and decides it’s better to get closer to her slowly. That means getting to know her friends too though and Sooyoung quickly finds that she actually likes them.

Jungeun and Yerim get along with Jinsol marvelously and Sooyoung just knows that Jinsol is happy to have people around that get her television references. Haseul likes everyone she meets, and even Vivi has fun hanging around them when she stops by to visit.

Haseul and Jinsol adore Jiwoo and Jiwoo, similarly to Haseul, seems to be able to get along with anyone that she meets. Sooyoung is beyond relieved when she realizes that all of them will be able to coexist because as much as she likes Jiwoo, Haseul and Jinsol are her family. If they didn’t like Jiwoo, any thought of a relationship would be out the window.

Jiwoo comes prepared with chocolate, of course, and offers Sooyoung before each game she plays, whether they’ve found strangers to play with or just the three of them playing shooting games. Jiwoo also cheers her on no matter the content of the game. Jinsol complains the days that Vivi comes because Vivi only yells for Haseul and Jinsol becomes the only one without a personal cheerleader.

She does convince them to play one day when Vivi isn’t there. Jiwoo, Jungeun, and Yerim versus Sooyoung, Haseul, and Jinsol. She plans on going easy on them of course, maybe even helping Jiwoo shoot if she needs it. It would be the perfect excuse to hold her without being creepy, but it doesn’t go the way Sooyoung plans because while she’s grabbing for a rebound, not even five minutes into the game, she elbows Jiwoo right in the face.

Jiwoo gives a little yelp the moment Sooyoung hits her. “Ow.”

Sooyoung drops the ball instantly, reaching over to cup Jiwoo’s face. She has to move the hand that Jiwoo is using to hide her nose, but she wishes she hadn’t when she sees the first drop of blood.

“Oh no! Jiwoo, I’m so sorry- no, pinch right here- I didn’t mean to- lean forward, you want the blood to drain out of your nose.” She drags the girl over to the bench, Jungeun and Yerim crowding around them to make sure Jiwoo isn’t dying. Sooyoung has certainly helped with bloody noses before, but none have horrified her quite like this because _she just elbowed the shit out of her crush’s nose_. “Does it hurt?”

Jiwoo peers up at her with sad, teary eyes and whines. “A little.”

Of course it hurts, it’s bleeding. Sooyoung is an idiot. How did she go from wanting to impress Jiwoo to giving her a bloody nose. How does anyone screw up so badly?

“Jiwoo, we should get you home.” Jungeun moves the bangs from her forehead. It’s comforting enough to get Jiwoo to stop whining. “I don’t have anything for your nose though.”

“I do!” Sooyoung jogs over to grab a rag from her bag that she keeps to wipe sweat. She’s only used it once today and prays it doesn’t stink too badly as she hands it over. “I’m sorry, Jiwoo. I really didn’t mean to.”

Jiwoo gives her best attempt at a smile, patting Sooyoung’s hand. “It’s okay. It was just an accident.”

Jungeun helps Jiwoo stand and gives Sooyoung a strange look. A reprimand possibly. Yerim gives her a much more sympathetic smile and pats her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Sooyoung.” Jiwoo pushes the towel to her nose, not seeming to notice the smell. At least, Sooyoung hopes she doesn’t. “See you tomorrow?”

Sooyoung perks up. “Yeah, of course! I- Maybe no more basketball for you?”

Jiwoo giggles. “Yeah, no more basketball.”

She hears Yerim give a sigh of relief as she and Jungeun take Jiwoo away. Sooyoung feels even more guilty for asking them to play after hearing that. She just wanted a way to get close to Jiwoo today, she hadn’t meant to make them do something they didn’t want to.

“Well.” Jinsol huffs out a mocking laugh. “That could have gone better.”

Sooyoung ignores her, eyes on the blood spilled across the court. Sooyoung feels a little sick to her stomach at the sight.

  
  
  


\---

  
  
  


“So, not only did you nearly knock her out and give her a bloody nose, you also made her use your dirty sweat towel to catch the blood?” Vivi, like always, seems to be questioning Sooyoung’s sanity.

Sooyoung groans into Jinsol's shoulder. “Yes. Well, no. The towel wasn’t dirty-”

“You used it.” Haseul points out, slurping the milk straight from her bowl now that she’s finished her cereal, like an animal. Vivi watches fondly.

Sooyoung grimaces. She’s really glad Jinsol’s mother wasn’t around to watch that. “Once. I used it once.”

Vivi covers her mouth with her hand, fighting back a smile. “Right, and I’m sure she didn’t walk home wondering why you gave her a sweaty towel, Sooyoung.”

Haseul snorts and nearly chokes, splashing milk everywhere. Jinsol jumps up immediately to give her a smack to the head while Vivi grabs a rag to wipe away the mess. Sooyoung watches them, not daring to move.

“Haseul, you did not just spill your dirty cereal water-”

“It’s called milk?”

“-all over my mother’s expensive ass marble counter. She will kill me.”

She’s hoping that if she doesn’t make a single move, they might stop teasing her. That’s totally how that works right? Don’t move and they can’t see you? 

“No, wait, can we go back to you calling my milk 'dirty cereal water'?” Haseul is looking at Jinsol like she’s crazy, barely noticing Vivi dabbing at her chin with the towel.

“No.” Jinsol denies her, settling back into the chair next to Sooyoung, hunching over with crossed arms.

Sooyoung waits a few moments as the silence goes on. She looks from Vivi to Haseul to Jinsol. It seems that none of them are going to continue the previous conversation; Sooyoung feels safe once again. “So, what should we-”

“Oh no.” Vivi stops her, wagging a finger. “We’re not done yet. I still have to make fun of you some more.” Sooyoung sinks into her chair, accepting defeat. “And both of you stop slouching. Jinsol’s mother will kill you.”

  
  
  


\---

  
  


Sooyoung’s last year of high school starts on a dull day. It’s sprinkling, not quite raining, and the sun pops out every couple hours from behind the clouds. That’s alright though because she gets to spend the day surrounded by Kim Jiwoo and Kim Jiwoo’s smile is far brighter than the sun could ever dream to be. Sooyoung would prefer that smile everyday over the sun if she’s being honest. The sun can be blinding and far too hot, but Jiwoo’s toothy grin is nothing but the perfect amount of warmth and comfort. 

Jinsol still doesn’t get why Sooyoung likes Jiwoo, even if she herself adores the girl. Sooyoung is pretty sure Jinsol’s confusion comes from Sooyoung’s ranting about how silly love is, rather than about the girl in question.

Sooyoung never understood when people around her would fawn over another human being, as if their existence alone made life more worth living, but she gets it now. She understands what it’s like to wake up and wonder what her favorite person in the world is doing at that exact moment. Not to say that people like Haseul and Jinsol don’t bring her joy as well, she loves them, but there’s never been a moment in time where she’s craved the presence of either of them. There are some days where she thinks her body might explode at the mere mention of Jiwoo.

Maybe it’s a little unhealthy, the way her mind short circuits and how her body physically warms in the girl’s presence, since they’re not even together. Perhaps it's not good to be so reliant on a person when Sooyoung doesn’t even know if Jiwoo likes her back.

She thinks Jiwoo does, or, at the very least it’s heading in that direction. Sooyoung does her very best to respect any boundaries Jiwoo might have, although the girl doesn’t have many, always clinging to someone like the koala that she is, but there’s still a tiny doubt in her mind that Jiwoo is just being nice. 

Jiwoo is affectionate with everyone in her life, even towards Vivi who she doesn’t get to see very often. It’s just a part of who she is, really, but sometimes Sooyoung finds herself jealous. It’s not her place to be, sure, but the nasty feeling wells up around Jiwoo often.

“Sooyoung?” Jiwoo tugs on her arm.

Sooyoung blinks her thoughts away, giving Jiwoo her full attention. “Yeah?”

“Can we sit together at lunch? All of us?” Jiwoo asks, pointing to one of the less occupied areas of the cafeteria. 

Sooyoung eyes the people watching them, eavesdropping on their conversation. They’re probably all curious what Jiwoo is going to choose to do, the girl has already received a dozen lunch invitations from people Sooyoung vaguely recognize.

“You don’t want to sit with anyone else?” She pointedly motions to the crowd surrounding them.

Jiwoo frowns, smacking her elbow. “Of course not. I want to sit with _you._ ”

Sooyoung’s throat tightens with emotion. “Then yeah, we’ll round up the crew, okay?”

_This-_ Sooyoung thinks, eyes glued to the happy Jiwoo- _This, I could get used to._

  
  
  


\---

  
  


Haseul is full of nerves, like she always tends to be during the first game of the season, but Jinsol is pouting. She hasn’t quite figured out why, but she has a feeling it’s because Jungeun can’t make it. Sooyoung has absolutely no way to prove it, but she can feel it in her gut. There’s got to be a reason why Jinsol stares so much at lunch.

“What if we mess up?” Haseul asks. She’s a little out of it, stuck in her own head. She’s probably going over plays in her head.

Sooyoung hums, watching Jinsol make a layup. “You mean, what if _I_ mess up.”

She’s nervous too, but there’s no way in hell she’ll ever admit that to anyone. She can’t be anything other than perfect today. Besides, she’ll be fine once her lucky charm gets here. Jiwoo’s presence always makes her feel better.

“No.” Haseul’s voice is steely. “We. How many times do I have to put it in your head that this is a team game?”

Sooyoung doesn’t plan on ignoring her, has an actual comeback, but one of her teammates pass the ball to her and it’s her turn. She gives Haseul a grimace, rushing past the faux defender and tipping the ball into the net.

She’s forced into the defending spot next, vaguely aware of the way Jinsol has taken her spot next to Haseul and the way they’re so obviously talking about her. At least they never try to hide things like that, Haseul and Jinsol are brutally honest to a fault with her and if they think something is wrong, they’ll point it out.

Not that anything is wrong, Sooyoung is just feeling a little worried is all. She doesn’t want to disappoint Jiwoo, nothing would be more embarrassing than that.

“Sooyoung!” Haseul’s firm voice surprises her. “Pay attention.”

Sooyoung blinks, startled by the appearance of the girl in front of her. She’s thinking too hard, getting distracted too easily. “Sorry.”

_Keep that up and we’ll lose, just like last year._

Sooyoung does end up defending well enough that her teammate doesn’t quite put the ball in the hoop, and with that, Sooyoung taps out. Practicing as such isn’t mandatory before the game, and Sooyoung prefers just to shoot.

She shies away from the others to shoot on her own, but it’s a bad idea because she starts looking for Jiwoo immediately. She spots her easily enough, right next to an irritated looking Yerim and some girl that Sooyoung has never seen before in her life.

She eyes the girl wearily. The name on her jersey reads Jeon, nothing she’s familiar with. She must be new. Still, new or not, Sooyoung doesn’t take kindly to anyone making her friends look like that. Jiwoo doesn’t seem to mind her presence, Jiwoo welcomes everyone, but Yerim certainly doesn’t want her there.

She grabs Haseul’s attention with a wave and points toward Jiwoo and Yerim. Haseul rolls her eyes, but lets her go anyway, probably assuming that Sooyoung won’t be able to focus until she goes and sees Jiwoo.

Much to her relief, the girl is already gone by the time she wiggles around the crowd of people, but something doesn’t sit right in the bottom of her stomach when she catches jiwoo glancing up to search for the Jeon girl.

Sooyoung waves it off, knowing how weird she can get when it comes to Jiwoo.

  
  


\---

  
  


“Is it possible to fall in love with someone that you’ve never even kissed… or taken on a date?” Sooyoung whispers out into the dark room, gaze stuck to the glow in the dark stars on Haseul’s ceiling.

Jinsol is snoring at the bottom of the bed, lying atop Sooyoung’s feet, ignorant to the world around her in her slumber. Sooyoung’s words are almost drowned out by the noise coming from her friend’s open mouth.

Haseul hears her, used to Jinsol’s noises. “I did.”

Sooyoung lets her head fall sleepily to the side, eyeing Haseul’s form to her best ability. It’s too dark to tell if her eyes are open or not. “With Vivi?”

Haseul hums, harmonizing with Jinsol’s vibrations. “Yes.”

“How did you know?”

Haseul takes a deep breath and rolls over. Sooyoung can see her eyes now, the way they droop with sleep. Perhaps the three of them shouldn't have stayed up all night to play stupid games together, but all of them are becoming more reckless with their time as of late. 

It’s like they've finally realized how little time they might have left together. They graduate at the end of the year, and there’s a good chance they won’t end up at the same colleges. Jinsol doesn’t even know if she wants to go, not that Sooyoung blames her.

Maybe that’s why she’s thinking so hard about the Jiwoo thing. Everything feels like it’s going too fast. Sooyoung is so very afraid to wake up one day and have missed all the moments she could have had with her friends.

“I didn’t realize it at first. It took a few months of knowing her,” Haseul whispers. “But one day, she was laughing at this dumb joke I made, and it was dumb, very dumb, and I knew that I wanted to keep on doing that. I wanted to make stupid jokes that no one else gets except her. I didn’t care that everyone thought they were dumb because she liked them. And that sounds ridiculous, right?”

“No.” Sooyoung interjects before Haseul can defend or second guess herself. Her best friend is bad about that, always thinking she needs to explain when she can just be. “It’s not ridiculous.”

Haseul’s mouth perks up, barely visible in the darkness. “Are you in love with Jiwoo, Sooyoung?’

She thinks back to yesterday, the way Jiwoo fit into her arms as she swung her around on the basketball court, they way Jiwoo squealed in surprise, but kept her arms pinned behind Sooyoung’s neck as she trusted Sooyoung not to drop her. 

It’s all she can think about, the way she felt when she finally made that half court shot, all thanks to Jiwoo. There’s no one, not even Haseul and Jinsol, that has ever made Sooyoung feel so seen or brave. There has been no one that has made her feel _infinite_ quite like Kim Jiwoo.

Even if it’s just platonic, there’s no one that has ever loved Sooyoung like Jiwoo, without expectation or want. Jiwoo has never asked a single thing from her, but God does Sooyoung want to give her everything, every part of her.

“Yes.” She tells Haseul. “I’m in love with Jiwoo.”

She’s never been so sure of something in her life.

  
  
  


\---

  
  
  


“I’m going to tell her.” Sooyoung takes Jinsol by the shoulders and shakes her, trying to get the nervous energy out of her own body by transferring it to Jinsol’s. “I’m going to tell her tonight.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jinsol wrestles her off.

The locker room is buzzing with cheer from their victory, everyone throwing around congratulatory high fives and smacks to the shoulders and bottoms. Haseul is off in the corner, talking to Vivi on the phone about their win with a giant smile on her face and doing her best to ignore the noises around her.

“I’m going to ask Jiwoo out tonight.” 

The adrenaline, paired with her realizations lately that she’s running out of time for normal, is getting to her, but she doesn’t think that it’s a bad thing. She’s merely finally gotten the push she’s needed all year. There’s no more waiting, no more wondering. She’s telling Jiwoo.

Jinsol’s mouth drops, eyes widening. “That’s awesome!”

Sooyoung’s excitement is only fueled by Jinsol’s. “I’m freaking out.”

“Stop freaking out!” Jinsol punches her in the shoulder. “Chill. It’s Jiwoo-”

“That’s the problem.”

“Jiwoo adores you.”

“What if she hates me afterward?”

“She won’t hate you.”

“She could.” Sooyoung points out, nerves coming back tenfold.

“No, she wouldn’t. You’re making yourself nervous.”

_You’re making yourself nervous. Stop putting so much pressure on your shot._

The familiarity that Jinsol’s words bring are enough to calm Sooyoung. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Haseul hangs up eventually, tugging them out to meet with the others while Jinsol explains Sooyoung’s plans to confess, much to Haseul’s own excitement. They all quickly decide it’s a night of celebration and to go to the local diner close to the school, but Sooyoung knows from the wink that Jinsol gives that it’s just a ploy to keep Jiwoo around.

The diner is a short ways from the school and the others deem it a nice night to take a walk together. Sooyoung thinks she’s very smooth, the way she sidles up to Jiwoo and slips her hand into the younger girl’s, but when she catches Jinsol’s eye roll and Jungeun’s raised brow, she figures it might have come across a little unnatural.

But that’s good, right? Because now Jiwoo probably knows that she’s done it on purpose, with another motive in mind besides something friendly, and she’s still letting Sooyoung do it. That must mean something. If she didn’t like Sooyoung then there’s no way she would still be holding onto Sooyoung’s sweaty fingers.

Sooyoung gives a questioning squeeze, receiving a sweet grin in return from the girl plaguing her mind. Sooyoung doesn’t let go until they make it to the diner, and that’s only because Yerim and Jungeun accidentally bump them apart as they fight to get through the front door.

Still, she ends up shoved into the booth next to Jiwoo, not that she’s complaining, but she can’t help but wonder if her friends have somehow done it on purpose or if the universe is just on her side tonight. Either way, she doesn’t question it and slips an arm behind Jiwoo and tries not to panic when the girl slides into her side.

Everything is going just as planned. Not that Sooyoung really planned anything out, she’s kind of just going with the flow here.

Sooyoung plots in her mind between compliments and arguments about milkshakes, trying to figure out the best way to get Jiwoo alone without coming across as weird. _Maybe I can walk her home? Would it be suspicious if Vivi drove everyone home except us? Or should I-_

“Shouldn’t you be saving money for your date on Saturday?”

Sooyoung freezes in place as Jiwoo jumps up to call over the waitress. Jungeun is looking at Jiwoo, but that doesn’t make sense. “Date?”

Sooyoung attempts to pull away, to get a better look at Jiwoo, but she bumps into Jinsol instead. The baffled look on Jinsol’s face is enough for Sooyoung to realize that she _is_ understanding the situation correctly. Jungeun did indeed just imply that Jiwoo has an upcoming date, and it’s certainly not with Sooyoung.

Jiwoo settles back down, inches backwards where Sooyoung’s arm was, seeming surprised not to find it there anymore. “Yeah!” A giddy laugh escapes her, sending Sooyoung’s brain spiraling. “Jeon Heejin. You guys played against her team the first game of the season.”

“She’s-” Sooyoung tries not to scoff, really she does, but she’s certain the noise is heard anyways. “A basketball player? You’re going on a date with a basketball player?”

She’s going on a date with someone that’s not Sooyoung, and to top it off, it’s another basketball player. It feels like getting kicked when she’s already down.

Jiwoo nods, a little less enthusiastically this time, like she’s picking up on Sooyoung’s bad mood. “Yeah, she’s really sweet.”

She sees Yerim lean forward from the corner of her eye. “The one you gave chocolate to?”

And just when she didn’t think it could get any worse, it does. Sooyoung wants to cry and yell, that it’s not fair, that it was _their_ thing. Because apparently their special tradition wasn’t so special for Jiwoo.

Sooyoung doesn’t dare look around at the others because she just knows the type of looks she would be getting, especially after her declaration in the locker room tonight or the confessions she shared with Haseul in the dark yesterday.

“Yeah. It was her first game ever and I wanted to cheer her up.” Jiwoo is beginning to look scared at the tense atmosphere. She obviously has no idea why everyone is upset. Sooyoung doesn’t know if that should make her feel better or worse, that Jiwoo apparently has no idea about Sooyoung’s feelings. “But just one of the extras I brought. I would never give her Sooyoung’s chocolate.”

_It’s worse,_ she decides. It’s worse because Jiwoo never even thought of her that way, did she? Not once did Jiwoo giving her chocolate or spending those days in the gym with her register as anything other than friendship to her. 

But that’s also what has Sooyoung giving a sad smile, because Jiwoo never had any other ulterior motive other than taking care of her. “I know.”

Jiwoo freezes. “I- are you guys mad at me?”

_Not mad, just heartbroken._ She wants to say. She doesn’t. “No, we’re not mad… Just didn’t expect you to go for someone that we… play against.”

It’s the closest thing she can say without outright telling her that every one of their friends were rooting for them to fall in love and live happily ever after. After all, it’s not exactly the polite thing to say right before a date with someone else.

“No, don’t worry! Heejin is really nice, I promise.” Jiwoo says confidently.

“And you deserve someone nice.” She does. Maybe she deserves someone nicer than Sooyoung, someone that can appreciate Jiwoo for her kindness and not just want Jiwoo for herself. Maybe Sooyoung is just too selfish for someone like Jiwoo. “A nice girl for our nice Jiwoo.” God, she hopes Jiwoo doesn’t notice the way her voice is choked. Her throat feels too tight. “You gave her that chocolate to be nice, right?”

Jiwoo nods. “Yes.”

Sooyoung nods slowly, desperately trying to swallow down the croak in her voice. “Right, you gave her that chocolate to be nice. Nothing more.”

_You gave_ me _those chocolates to be nice, because you’re Jiwoo, not because you love me like I love you._

She tries to be normal for the rest of the night, really she does, but she just knows that she comes across as snappy. She doesn’t even finish the milkshake that Jiwoo buys her, and she eventually has to signal Jinsol to get her the hell out of there before she actually loses her mind in front of all of them.

Haseul looks like she wants to come with, but Sooyoung waves her off. There’s no way she’s ruining her night with Vivi, not with how little they’ve seen one another lately. College is kicking Vivi’s ass and this is probably the only time they’ll get to see each other for the next few weeks.

They walk in silence for a while, Sooyoung fighting against the tears that threaten to spill over. She clings to Jinsol’s hand when they eventually cloud her vision, hoping her best friend will just lead her without question. Jinsol, the good friend that she is, stops her altogether to pull her into a hug.

“I’m sorry.” Jinsol pats her head, allowing her to settle her forehead on her shoulder.

She gives up and sobs.

She's glad that it's dark because she's not even sure if they're still in a public area. At least if they are, people won't notice how Sooyoung is crying like her whole world is falling apart, because it kind of feels like it is.

“Jungeun never said anything about a date. It must have been recent.” Because lately Jinsol and Jungeun are glued to the hip when she’s not with her and Haseul. “We all really thought she liked you.”

“So did-” She hiccups, sending her whole body forward from the aggressive reaction. Jinsol holds them both steady” -I. I thought…”

“I know.” It’s a little weird how soft Jinsol is being. They don’t do this, they go to Haseul when they need this type of affection. Sooyoung must really be a wreck. “Do you want to spend the night?”

“Yes.” She doesn’t want to be alone right now.

“Okay. We can get drunk and throw darts at a picture of Jiwoo if you want.”

Sooyoung barks out a wet laugh. “No, it’s not her fault.”

“Do we-” Jinsol pulls away, frowning. “Should we avoid them for a bit?”

Jinsol obviously doesn’t like the idea, but Sooyoung has no doubt that the girl would if that’s what Sooyoung wants. It probably has more to do with Jungeun than some idea about being noble and reliable. Jinsol can be very petty if she wants.

“No.” Sooyoung shakes her head, suddenly very aware that she needs to blow her nose and clean her face. “That’s not right.”

Sooyoung may not be nice enough to be content with Jiwoo’s friendship, but she’s selfish enough that she plans on keeping Jiwoo in her life, even if Sooyoung isn't the girl of Jiwoo’s dream. Even if she has to watch Jiwoo fall for someone else.

“Alright, if you say so.” Jinsol tugs her by the hand. She gives her fingers a tight squeeze every time Sooyoung sniffles. “You know, Jiwoo could have at least picked someone that can actually play basketball well.”

Sooyoung laughs, even if the statement is false. The Jeon girl scored more than Jinsol that night, she remembers because Jinsol had been pissed, but part of Sooyoung does feel a little better when she realizes that _she’s_ better than Heejin, and no matter what, even if Jiwoo marries Heejin one day, she’ll always be Jiwoo’s favorite basketball player.

It’s not enough to help the cracks in her heart, but it’s something.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh yes, add a little... spice

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello! I'm back on my chuuves shit


End file.
